Things I want to remember (part 3)...

I want to remember...

...how Noel says "nuh-sing" when you ask him what he is doing. Actually he says, "ummm...nuh-sing"...even cuter!

...how Avery is always throwing (surprise!) birthday parties for someone...either one of our family members or one of her stuffed animals.

...how, if you tell him to shake his booty, Noel actually ends up shaking his head. He bends at the waist and starts wiggling but pretty much only his head moves.

...how Avery, for no reason at all, changes her underwear a few times each day.

...how if you ask Noel something like "Are you okay?" or "Are you hungry?" instead of answering with a simple "yes" or "no," he says "I am" or "I not."

...how Avery uses the (usually false...or atleast greatly exaggerated) claims that "[stomp, Stomp, Stomp, STOMP]* Noel's trying to climb out of his bed!" or "[stomp, Stomp, Stomp, STOMP] Noel's taking his diaper off!" to get me and Jeff out of the bed in the mornings.

...how Noel repeats the last word or last few words of every sentence he hears when someone is reading a book to him. Same thing when we're saying their prayers at night...

...how Avery loads her purse with random items that she carefully selects in preparation for whatever we are going out to do. The funniest was the contents of her purse for her birthday outing to Chuck E. Cheese's...her favorite cat (Sophie), a tiny sleeping hat (incase Sophie gets cold), a toy fish (incase Sophie gets lonely), and one of her Cinderella doll's elbow-length, handless gloves (incase her [Avery's] game-playing finger gets cold).

...how Noel randomly (read: completely unprompted) tells us that he loves us..."I love oo, Daddy."

...how when Avery imagination plays, there is often a "Mom" talking to her "children"...and because of these roles, there is regular confusion between me and Avery as to which "Mom" is being called--me or the imaginary mother. Whenever I guess wrong (or don't realize she is in her imaginary world), Avery promptly corrects me by saying (in a way that sounds like the "ding dong" of a doorbell) "wrong Mom."

...how whenever I sit down (while at home), Noel comes rushing over asking if he can sit with me..."Sitta you? Sitta you?"

...how Avery always asks me to scratch her back by requesting a "spikey back rub...under the shirt."

* The stomping is Avery LOUDLY running from her bedroom to our bedroom.